RECIPES

With all of the wonderful in-season fruits and vegetables flowing abundantly in farmers markets and produce aisles, I tend to ambitiously over-purchase in the summer months and end up with a fridge full of food and not enough meals planned at a proportionate pace to their shelf life. First world problems, I know. To solve for this conundrum, I've recently been playing with pickling and fermenting my surplus of fruits and veggies. It just so happens that I bought one too many bunches of organic sweet baby broccoli at PCC last week and Imperfect Produce sent me more carrots than I know what to do with. It also just so happens that South Korea eliminated Germany in the World Cup today, throwing Mexico another lifeline after their crushing loss to Sweden. It's safe to say Mexicans across the world were buying rounds of Modelos for their Korean friends today. As for this Mexican, she opted for a different type of fermentation celebration and made kimchi instead.

Traditionally, kimchi is a spicy pickled cabbage dish popular in Korean cuisine - but in we’re mixing up tradition by swapping baby broccoli for cabbage and adding some carrots for extra crunch. Purists might disagree, but you can make kimchi out of any vegetable that can withstand the salting and fermentation process - such as brussels sprouts, beets, kohlrabi, bok choy, radishes, watermelon rinds, etc. The world is your deliciously spicy, briny, fermented oyster.

One last note before we get to the how part. Did you also know that kimchi is good for you? Fermentation enhances the digestibility and nutritional value of the vegetables, and when consumed, populates our intestinal flora with beneficial bacteria.

So feel free to use this recipe as a starting point, substituting any vegetable you'd like. Get wild.

1. Place the cut broccoli in a large bowl, sprinkle with kosher salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and toss. Let sit for ½ hour. The purpose of salting the broccoli is two-fold: it acts a preservative and draws water out of the greens, tenderizing in the process.

2. While the broccoli is brining, combine the garlic, ginger, kochukaru, miso paste, and remaining tablespoon of sugar. It will be very thick. Thin with a bit of warm water (1 tablespoon at a time) until smooth. You’re looking for the consistency of sour cream. Taste and adjust if needed. Stir in the green onions and carrots.

3. Rinse and drain the broccoli. Thoroughly mix with the kochukaru paste. Taste and season with more salt, if necessary. Pack tightly into mason jars.​4. Seal tightly and refrigerate. The kimchi will be tasty right away but even better after 24 hours. It will continue to ferment for up to two weeks and keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

There's nothing more ubiquitous and symbolic of the current millennial zeitgeist than avocado toast. In the U.S., avocado consumption has spiked more than 300% since 2000, growing from a West Coast treat to a straight-up national obsession. Growing up in a Chilean household, in California where avocados are abundant and available year-round, my family ate avocado toast before it became a signature brunch staple (slash "before it was cool"), either for breakfast or during 'once,' or Chilean tea time. Once - a tradition inherited from the British, who settled in Chile in the 1800s - consists of a light, cold snack anytime from mid- to late-afternoon. Once offerings can range from a simple cup of tea (with milk, of course) and some toast with butter, mashed avocado, jam, pâté, cheese, cold cuts, or the sweetly addictive 'manjar,' or milk caramel. Once is awesome because who doesn't love a midday snack in between lunch and dinner?

While the origins of once are much disputed, the theory I most like goes like this:

Back in the 1800s, Chilean salt mine workers, would take a small drink and snack break midday, but were prohibited from drinking alcohol by the British mine owners. The Chilean mine workers were like, "the hell with that, we're drinking anyway, in secret." To disguise their clandestine activities, the workers used the code word 'once,' meaning 'eleven' in Spanish which just so happens to be the same number of letters in the word for their preferred drink of choice, 'aguardiente,' or fire water. Sneaky.

Anyhow, back to the toast, which also serves as a perfect cure after a night of drinking too much fire water. This version adds a bit of spice, which Chileans don't typically like, but my Mexican genes crave. I'm currently obsessed with topping my toast with the Stud mix from Supply House Peppers which contains anaheim, cayenne, cherry, chili, cowhorn, ghost, habanero, and jalapeno peppers.